


Numinous

by Unbridgeable



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 4: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Gryffindor, Hogwarts, Hogwarts Inter-House Friendships, Hogwarts Inter-House Unity, Hufflepuff, Multi, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, The Golden Trio, Triwizard Tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-28
Updated: 2019-01-28
Packaged: 2019-10-18 06:40:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17575808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Unbridgeable/pseuds/Unbridgeable
Summary: If there's one thing Adelaide Hayes has learned throughout her life, it's how to be invisible. Keeping her head down, staying quiet, and minding her own business - those are the things she does best. Specifically speaking, blending in is her specialty.However, when a series of events during her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry shake her to the core, she's thrown completely out of her depth, and forced to begin to reassess, and reshape her entire life.Now, she has to learn to take a stand, open her mouth, and fight for what she believes in.





	1. casting

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! Sorry to be a bore, but for me, the casting of my three OC's in this story was very important in terms of story development. Feel free to skip ahead if you're not interested!  
> Additionally, I'm including three of JK's characters (Neville, Seamus and Dean), who play some pretty key roles in Adelaide's side of the story.
> 
> (Please note, I'm using a younger version of Adelaide's casting, so add '2009' to any google image search)
> 
> Enjoy! (I guess?)

**Go Ara** as _Adelaide Hayes_

_"I can't just sit here anymore. There's something unbelievably dull about it, now that people don't accidentally sit on me in the library all the time."_

 

**Colin Ford** as _Wilbur 'Wil' Dornington_

_"Oh don't be too harsh on yourself. Sometimes even perfect people can be total knob-heads too."_

 

**Haley Lu Richardson** as _Ava Morley_

_"Well I happen to think that fitting in is totally overrated - and that's not just me saying that because people like me!"_

 

**Matthew Lewis** as _Neville Longbottom_

_"You're so quiet all the time. I sometimes think you can't stand me."_

 

**Alfred Enoch** as _Dean Thomas_

_"Yes, why do you still tolerate us, even after all these years?"_

 

**Devon Murray** as _Seamus Finnigan_

_"Look, to be honest, I'm just here for the food."_

 

**The rest of the Wizarding World movies casts** as _Themselves_


	2. Part One || Fourth Year

_"I don't understand why he says_ 'quiet' _like an insult. There's nothing wrong with wanting to ignore people sometimes, is there?"_

=•=

In which Adelaide begins to realise that perhaps sitting on the fence all the time is not the best way to live her life


	3. i.

**Thursday, September 1st, 1994**

Fourteen year-old Adelaide Hayes liked very much to mind her own business, and preferred it if others did the same. It was rare to see her make exceptions to this rule, which was why one might be surprised at her choice of close friends.

Wilbur Dornington and Ava Morley, at first glance, could not have been more different from the other member of their little trio.

Firstly, dark-haired, pureblooded Ava was Defence Against the Dark Arts obsessed, consistently displaying a profound proficiency for learning - and occasionally, for a select few unlucky bystanders, casting - new hexes and jinxes, oftentimes explaining that the key to their execution was through learning the counter-spells first. Her teachers, though understanding of just how wickedly bright she was, thought she was certifiably mad.

Wil, on the other hand, was the human equivalent of a golden retriever. His shaggy blonde hair and goofy lopsided grin only served to emphasise this point, and though he appeared rather thick - at least, that was most certainly what other people assumed - he was, conversely, a top-scoring student in Potions and Charms, and a sure shoe-in for Head Boy when seventh year finally rolled around.

The key trait that the three of these otherwise incredibly different teenagers shared, was in fact their keen intelligence, and appreciation of one another's fields of interest. They understood that in areas in which they lacked, they were able to help one another, lifting their grades academically, providing emotional support regularly, and strengthening their friendship astronomically.

This being explained, one might understand why the trio sought each other out on the Hogwarts Express at the beginning of their fourth year, as they had done the three before that.

Adelaide was first onto the train, as often was the case, and as she hunted for an empty compartment - being pushed further and further back through the carriages - she found the two bargaining with a somewhat frightened-looking second year at the door to his compartment. Wil was waving around a large box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, and Ava was deep in saleswoman mode, gesturing to the empty space behind him, and then to a compartment two doors down, containing a single, small, red-haired girl.

As Adelaide drew closer, she caught the tail end of Ava's pitch.

"... so not only do you get this jumbo box of Bertie Botts free of charge, but you also get to make a brand new friend! All we ask is to have the compartment behind you." She flashed him her perfectly white, perfectly straight teeth. "Sounds like a pretty good deal, hey?"

The second year boy's eyebrows drew together in consideration, glancing between Ava's schooled expression and Wil's smiling, friendly face.

"Al... alright." He squeaked after a moment, snatching the box of beans from Wil's grip and scurrying off down the corridor. Adelaide watched him go, eyebrow raised, before turning to face her two closest friends, who were grinning stupidly at one another.

"Nice to see you two already traumatising the younglings." She chuckled, hoisting her duffel bag a little higher up her shoulder. Ava's head whipped around at the sound of her voice, pretty face poised with another blinding grin. She closed the distance between the two of them in three strides of her long legs, leaning down to wrap her arms around Adelaide's neck in a squeezing embrace.

"Oh it's so good to see you, Del!" She cried, stepping back to allow Wil to hug her too. "How was your summer?"

Adelaide shrugged, leaning into Wil's arms before withdrawing and tossing her hair back out of her face.

"Oh, you know. Fairly boring, quite stock-standard." She smiled softly, gesturing to their hard-won empty compartment. "Shall we?"

They filed in, organising bags and stowing pets away safely. Adelaide, sadly, was without her flighty screech owl, Edwina, this year. Her brother Henry had gone to Morocco with his fiancée, and her mother had insisted on them taking her - not, however, without massive protest on Adelaide's part. She was going to have to wait till Christmas to see her again.

Sitting, she crossed her legs beneath her and watched her friends settle in.

"How long did it take you to convince that poor boy to give up his compartment?" She asked.

Ava shared a small frown of consideration with Wil, before answering.

"Maybe five minutes? But as soon as Wil pulled out the beans, he was as good as sold."

Wil chuckled, unzipping his backpack and allowing Adelaide a peek at it's contents - piles and piles of chocolate frogs, boxes and boxes of beans, several sugar quills and some acid pops.

"It always pays to be prepared." He shrugged, zipping it back up and stowing it on the rack above his head. "Though I will admit, it would have done absolutely nothing without Ava's sales pitch." Ava's responding giggle was faerie-like. "That girl could convince a house elf to buy life insurance."

Adelaide laughed, glancing at the other girl, where she was doing a terrible job of hiding the way her chest puffed up with pride.

"That she could." She agreed.

"Stop that now, you two." Ava waved a hand at the both of them. "The train's about to leave, and with all the compliments I can feel I'm about to receive, I should think that my head will be huge by the time we reach Hogwarts."

No sooner than she had closed her mouth did the carriage jerk beneath them, the steam engine's whistle announcing their departure as they began to chug out of the station.

With a startled cry, Wil leapt to his feet, hurrying over to the window and shoving it open just wide enough to stick his head out. Over his shoulder, Adelaide could just see his mother, arm around his littlest sister, whilst the other two chased after the train, laughing and waving until it pulled out of the station and out of sight.

=•=•=

The ride to Hogwarts passed quickly, as it always had. Wil kept them entertained with tales of his summer at his aunt's in the south of France, where he'd spent days on end on the beach, teaching his younger cousins crass English words and naughty songs. By the time Ava had managed to get a word in edgewise, the trip had been more than halfway over.

Adelaide listened mostly in silence, as she was generally wont to do, very occasionally interjecting to ask a question or prevent bickering matches between the two.

As they pulled into the station, Neville Longbottom appeared in the doorway, a queasy grin dimpling his cheeks.

"Alright, guys?" He greeted somewhat shakily.

"Hello, Neville, how are you?" Ava smiled from her seat, stuffing a book she had retrieved to show Adelaide back into her bag.

Neville blushed, glancing down at his feet, then refocusing on the empty space above her head. Adelaide almost laughed, but remembered her manners and offered the boy a friendly smile when he looked her way.

"You haven't seen Luna walk past, have you? I asked her to look after my Flitterbloom plant while I changed into my robes, but um... well, she seems to have wandered off with it."

Wil offered him a sympathetic look, clapping him on the shoulder as he stood and began collecting his things.

"Sorry mate, we haven't. I'm sure you'll run into her soon enough - you know what she's like."

Neville frowned, chewing on his lip nervously, before nodding.

"Thanks anyway." He turned to leave, but before he did, he looked back over at Adelaide. "See you at the feast, eh?"

Caught off-guard, she fought off a frown, instead schooling her expression into a neutral, if not amicable one, and bobbing her head.

"Might do. If not, probably herbology."

Neville's eyebrows shot up.

"You won't be in the common room later?"

Adelaide shook her head, her stomach turning over uneasily, trying to think of a response. Luckily, Ava jumped to her defence.

"She usually turns in early on the first night." She supplied. Neville's head whipped around sharply to face her, causing a full-on blush to spread over his cheeks. Clearing his throat, he murmured a quick "ok", and then left them to sort themselves out, glancing at Adelaide over his shoulder as he went.

The tension flowed out of Adelaide's shoulders only after he disappeared from view, allowing her to stand and stretch, and adjust her uniform.

"What was that all about?" Wil wondered, staring after the other boy. Ava shot a smirk at Adelaide, shouldering past them and out into the corridor.

"I happen to think he has a little crush on our Del, Wilbur." She surmised. It was Adelaide's turn to go bright red, and she charged out of the compartment after her friend, Wil trailing behind her, laughing loudly.

"He does not!" She sputtered, catching up to Ava and shooting her a glare. "He probably just wants to compare herbology notes. We both did the same extra credit project over the summer for Professor Sprout." Ava arched an eyebrow at her, prompting more excuses to flow from her mouth. "And besides, did you see the way he blushed when you spoke to him? If there's anyone of us he fancies, it's far more likely you!"

Ava scoffed, jumping down to the platform and reaching up a hand to help Adelaide down too. She ignored it, leaping down after her.

"There's a difference between physical attraction and true, romantic attraction, my dear." She shot back, shaking her arms to ward off the unseasonal chill of the early autumn evening. Adelaide huffed, looking to Wil desperately as they made their way towards the carriages.

"Wil, please make her see sense! Neville Longbottom does not like me!" A few third years tittered as they passed, and, nearing furious, Adelaide lowered her voice to a hiss. "Please."

Wil just shrugged, keeping his mouth shut and refusing to respond. Ava clearly took this as encouragement, as she looped her arm through Adelaide's, a smug grin on her face.

"See? Even he knows I'm right."

Adelaide groaned, dropping her head low and snatching her arm back.

"You're both insufferable."


	4. ii.

The first feast of the school year, somehow, always seemed to be the best, Adelaide mused as she spooned roast potatoes onto her plate. Across from her, Dean Thomas was recounting a story involving a bowtruckle and the gnomes in his uncle's garden, swearing up and down to Seamus Finnigan, to her left, that it had chased them all out with a group of its friends.

Seamus had simply scoffed a few times, then shoved a piece of pork in his mouth, ignoring Dean's protests that _of course he was telling the truth, why would he make this sort of thing up?_

"What do you think, Adelaide?" Dean turned to her impatiently, clearly haven given up on Seamus, who had instead stolen some of Dean's crackling, and was crunching on it contentedly. Adelaide glanced up from her potatoes, surprised at being called on, then slightly annoyed at being disturbed.

"Sorry Dean, but I don't really care all that much about the wimpy gnomes in your uncle's garden." She replied quietly. Seamus gave a short guffaw around his mouthful of Dean's crackling. Dean, on the other hand, sat back in his seat, a look of mock hurt crossing his face as he lifted his hand to his heart.

"Miss Hayes, you wound me!" He cried. Adelaide rolled her eyes, turning back to her dinner plate and helping herself to some carrots.

"You're lucky I tolerate you at all, Mr Thomas." She replied, wry grin hidden from the two boys as she reached for the gravy. Dean shrugged, snatching a piece of lamb from Seamus' plate – ignoring his protests – and pointing his fork at her.

"Yes, why do you still do that, after all these years?"

Adelaide cocked her head to one side, sweeping a stray lock of hair from her face and leaning back so she could look at both boys at once.

"Because you two – " She made a sweeping gesture down the Gryffindor table. " – are the only two idiots in this entire house who won't ask me to study outside of class with them, or invite me to social events in which I have no interest." She replied. The boys shared a glance, then nodded to each other.

"Fair enough." Seamus conceded.  
They lapsed back into easy silence after that.

Truth be told, Adelaide had struggled to make friends in her own house, especially during her first year. It was only after Wil and Ava had staged an intervention one afternoon, not long after Christmas break that year that she had actually started to make an effort. It hadn't taken long for Seamus and Dean to make themselves a semi-regular fixture in her life after that.

Glancing over to the Slytherin table, she caught Ava watching her, a small grin on her face. She stuck her tongue out at her, but returned the smile, then watched as the other girl turned back to her housemates, laughing and grinning widely. Everyone loved Ava, and for good reason too. She was kind, smart, and pretty – three of the things that people seemed to value most in a teenage girl. Adelaide sometimes forgot just how lucky she was to have her as her best friend.

Fairly quickly, the feast wound up, plates cleared themselves, and then disappeared altogether. Chatter began to die down as Dumbledore stepped up to his podium, arms spread wide, a soft, knowing smile on his face.

"So!" He began, smiling down at them all. "Now that we are fed and watered, I must ask once more for your attention while I give out a few notices. Mr Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to inform you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle this year has been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr Filch's office, if anyone should like to check it."

Adelaide could have sworn that the corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched up at that statement, and she herself had to suppress a smile and a small chuckle, along with her classmates around her.

Dumbledore continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you that the Forest in the grounds is out of bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year."

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the inter-house Quidditch Cup will not take place this year." He added. At the flurry of outraged protest this generated – most notably from the Gryffindor and Slytherin table, both of whom were itching for a rematch after last year's house cup – Dumbledore simply raised his hand, and waited for silence to fall.

"This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts - "

Before he could go on, there was a loud crash as the doors of the Great Hall were thrown open. A strange man stood in the opening, silhouetted by the lightning from the raging thunderstorm outside. He wore a battered-looking travelling cloak, and his boots were crusted in a thick layer of mud, as if he had trudged across the countryside rather than use the roads that led to the castle.

As he stepped through the door, another flash of lightning threw his features into sharp relief.

He was a grizzled-looking man, with dark, bedraggled grey hair, and scars lining his face. Adelaide could feel the other students around her shrink back and away from him as he clunked past, moving toward Dumbledore's podium, where the older wizard reached out a hand in greeting, shaking the stranger's pockmarked one and gesturing to an empty seat at the staff table.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Alastor Moody." Dumbledore said brightly into the silence.

It was common practise for new staff members to be greeted with applause – or at least, it had been from what Adelaide had been able to glean over the past four years. But no one clapped for Professor Moody, except for Dumbledore and Hagrid, whose applause sounded empty and eerie in the silence. Everyone else seemed too transfixed by Moody's bizarre appearance to do more than stare at him.

Dumbledore cleared his throat again.

"As I was saying." He continued, still smiling. "We are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months – an event which has not been held for over a century! It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" A voice Adelaide recognised as belonging to one of the Weasley twins shouted into the silence.

The tension that had hung in the air since Moody's arrival, thick enough to suffocate, suddenly snapped, as if cut through with a knife. Nearly everyone laughed, and Dumbledore chuckled appreciatively.

"No, I am not joking, Mr Weasley." He replied, causing a small grin to break its way onto Adelaide's face. "Though I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all go into a bar – "

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er – but maybe this is not the time... no..." Said Dumbledore. "Where was I? Ah, yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago, as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry – Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the Tournament once every five years and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities – until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the Tournament was discontinued."

Adelaide frowned, sharing a glance with Dean across the table. Surely, if the death toll had been so high, they wouldn't risk trying to run it again? _Surely_ they wouldn't risk losing more students?

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the Tournament." Dumbledore continued. "None of which have been very successful, I'm afraid. However, our own Departments of International Magical Co-Operation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that, this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger."

" _Mortal_ danger." Dean muttered under his breath. "So a little bit of danger is just fine then?" Adelaide kicked him under the table, curious to see what Dumbledore had to say next.

"The Heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will arrive soon, and on Halloween we will have the Champion Selections. An impartial judge will decide which students, are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school and a thousand galleon personal prize money."

"Eager though I know all of you will be able to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts." He said, "The heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, have agreed to impose an agreed restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age – that is to say, seventeen years or older – will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration. This – " Dumbledore raised his voice slightly for several people had made noises of outrage at these words. " – is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the Tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below Sixth and Seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." His light-blue eyes twinkled as they flickered over to the Weasley twins' murderous expressions, just a few seats down from where Adelaide, Seamus and Dean sat. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen."

"The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be staying with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter you lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop Chop!"


	5. iii.

Adelaide mostly tried to ignore the whispers of the students around her as they made their way back to their common rooms after the feast. But, despite being sandwiched between Dean and Seamus, both a few centimetres taller than her, she still caught snatches of conversation here and there. Talk had turned from the horrors that had happened at the Quidditch World Cup just a short time ago, and instead now centred upon the hotly anticipated Triwizard Tournament. She was grateful for the topic change, and apparently, so was everyone else - she didn't hear the Cup mentioned once as they made their way up the stairs.

"What d'you reckon they'll be like?" Seamus pondered, stepping slightly to one side so Adelaide could hop onto a shifting staircase before him. Dean shot him a look.

"What on earth are you talking about?"

"Y'know, the other students. From Beaux-whatsitscalled and Dumbstrong."

"Beauxbatons and Durmstrang." Adelaide corrected quietly. "And I suspect not all that different from ourselves."

"What makes you say that?" He asked. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, they're teenagers, aren't they? The accompanying factors don't seem to vary all that much, no matter where you're from." They climbed in silence for a few moments, as Seamus appeared to mull over her point.

"I see where you're coming from, but I don't reckon I quite agree with you." He said as they reached the top of one staircase and stopped to assess which one to step on next. Adelaide chose quickly, beckoning for the two boys to follow.

"Ah well, each to their own."

The three remained fairly quiet for the remainder of the trip to Gryffindor tower, only the boys' occasional bickering breaking the amicable silence. By the time they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, the first years had all but caught up to them, a harried Elizabeth Stevenson - a year above them, and Gryffindor's female fifth year prefect - ushering them up to gather on the platform.

She caught sight of Dean and Seamus, and uttered a small note of thanks under her breath.

"You two, thank god!" She exhaled, grabbing a small boy too close to the platform's railing by the back of his robes and hauling him back to the group. She took no note of Adelaide, standing slightly to Seamus' left.

"That stupid excuse for a wizard has vanished without a trace, leaving me with this group - who are not very good at listening to instructions!" She cried, as the particularly wayward little boy edged towards the railing again. At her outburst, he shrank back, a sheepish expression overtaking his soft, brown features.

Adelaide chuckled quietly under her breath, drawing the little boy's attention. She shot him a smile, and gave him a small wink, earning herself a beam full of white, wonky teeth, before shifting her gaze back to Elizabeth.

"Who are you talking about?" Dean asked, straightening his shoulders and flashing Elizabeth a tentative grin. Adelaide and Seamus shared a glance, rolling their eyes. Dean had fancied Elizabeth Stevenson for a little bit over a year, and wasn't very good at being subtle about it. Then again, Dean wasn't exactly known for his subtlety.

"Stephen O'Callaghan. He's our other fifth-year prefect this year, and as soon as we were dismissed from the Hall, he disappeared!"

Adelaide didn't recognise the name - apparently neither did Seamus or Dean - but that didn't stop Dean from taking a step forward and fixing his most helpful expression over his features.

"How can we be of assistance?"

Seamus snorted quietly at his phrasing, but Elizabeth took no notice, a sunny smile brightening her face.

"You're the best. Just make sure they all stay together, and keep them away from the edge of the stairs."

Dean gave a small, snappy salute - one which he immediately seemed to regret, ducking his head and blushing furiously as he began to round up eleven year-olds.

Seamus and Adelaide shared another look, before simultaneously shaking their heads and turning toward the Fat Lady.

"Balderdash." Adelaide spoke the password clearly, prompting the Fat Lady to look up from her fine-stemmed wine glass and take in the little group before her.

"Adelaide, dear. No hello for me this year?" The dark-haired woman wore a tiny frown of disapproval.

"Sorry ma'am, just a bit tired is all. I'm looking forward to getting into bed, if I'm honest." Adelaide replied with what she thought was a suitably abashed smile. The Fat Lady's expression softened around her eyes, and she heaved a great sigh, looking from Adelaide and Seamus to the little crowd behind.

Neither Elizabeth nor Dean appeared to have taken much notice of her conversation with the painting, occupied as they were with the children surrounding them; but the little first year boy with the soft brown face had crept forward to stand by Adelaide's side, seemingly fascinated.

"Who have we got here, darling?" The Fat Lady cooed, leaning forward slightly in her frame to get a clearer look at him. Adelaide glanced down at him, offering up another little smile.

"What's your name, kiddo?" She asked gently. With another grin full of slightly-crooked teeth that reminded her so much of her six year-old brother, he replied:

"Timothy Bucklestrop."

The Fat Lady laughed in delight, clasping her hands together.

"A Bucklestrop! We haven't had one of those in Gryffindor for decades!" She cried.

Timothy shuffled his feet shyly, sweeping a curl out of his face.

"My older brothers were all Ravenclaw." He said. The Fat Lady nodded understandingly.

"Yes, now I do believe I have met one of your brothers, a Maxwell - "

"Oh, what's taking so long?" Elizabeth interrupted, hovering over Seamus' shoulder - much to his apparent discomfort - and eyeing the portrait in annoyance. "The password is 'balderdash', is it not?"

The Fat Lady huffed, sizing Elizabeth up with a frown.

"Miss Stevenson, surely you know that interrupting a conversation is considered rather rude?"

Elizabeth sighed, rolling her eyes.

"My sincerest apologies." She sounded anything but sincere. "However, I have twenty eleven year-olds who are getting all quite irritable because it is well and truly past their bedtime!"

"I think it's well and truly past _her_ bedtime." Timothy muttered quietly to Adelaide, who had to suppress her responding laugh by clapping a hand over her mouth.

The Fat Lady shot Elizabeth a venomous glare, but gave a sigh of resignation anyway, and swung inwards, allowing Elizabeth and her band of first years through. Timothy followed reluctantly behind them, waving to Adelaide and Seamus as he disappeared up the tunnel.

"Some people truly have no manners, do they?" The painting exhaled. Adelaide gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry about that. I suspect she was reaching quite the end of her tether."

The Fat Lady waved a ring-covered hand at her.

"Never you mind, my dear. Now off to bed with you - but do make sure you come and have a chat with me soon."

Adelaide ducked her head in a polite nod, grabbing Seamus by the elbow and tugging him into the corridor.

"Of course! I'll see you soon!"

The pair were left in darkness as the portrait swung shut behind them. Climbing up a set of stairs, they found Dean waiting for them in the common room, perched on the edge of an over-stuffed arm chair.

"Well that wasn't weird at all." Seamus said, quirking an eyebrow at Adelaide. "When did you become such good friends with the Fat Lady?"

She wrinkled her nose, shrugging her shoulders and turning to sit beside Dean.

"It's kind of a long and strange story. She was upset about something last year and I felt sorry for her, so I stopped to ask if she was alright. Three hours later she was telling me about her great-granddaughter Dorit and how she was positive she'd be a fantastic seamstress one day."

The two boys let out a laugh, and Adelaide couldn't help but smile in return. "Go figure, huh?"

This was home. The red and gold warmth of Gryffindor tower once again wrapping its arms around her; the crackling of the fire in the hearth filling the room with delicious heat; and the low chatter and laughter of the older students who had yet to retire to their dormitories. This was the place - out of the whole entire world - where she was most comfortable.

Until, that is, she caught sight of Neville Longbottom waving at her from across the room, picking his way through the lingering students towards them.

" _Shit_." She muttered under her breath. Dean and Seamus both eyed her with concern.

"What's the matter?" Dean asked, nudging her with his shoulder. Adelaide jumped to her feet, a thrill of strange, unwarranted panic bursting through her chest. She offered her friends a tight smile.

"Nothing! Nothing at all!" She cleared her throat, eyeing the stairs and wondering if she made a dash for it now, would Neville notice her noticing him?

"I think I ought to head up, though. I'm quite tired, and I don't think I'll make it to breakfast in the morning if I don't turn in now." Without waiting for a response, she left the two boys staring after her, scurrying up the stairs to the girls dormitories.

She heard Neville call out to her, but she didn't stop - not until she had put the solid wooden door of her bedroom between them.


End file.
